The Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School (G.E.M.S.) Program was first established in 1988 and has since matured into a prestigious honor for the ten undergraduates who are selected into the program each year. Students in the program are given un-paralleled insight into the field of medicine, and guarantees upon completion, admission to UofL’s School of Medicine. It is a community that intertwines undergraduates with physicians, researchers, and faculty at the School of Medicine.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

With Summer winding down, we are proud to begin our GEMS
Alumni Spotlight once again. This month we are pleased to highlight Dr.
Katherine Potter, current Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UofL & the
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Director. Dr. Potter works in Pediatric
Care Medicine at Kosair Children’s Hospital and graduated from UofL in
1997 with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology. Following undergrad, she stayed in
the city of Louisville for medical school, residency, and fellowship. At her
core, she is true Louisvillian.

Dr. Potter
remembers that one instance, which so many physicians experience at some point
in their lives, when she knew that she wanted to pursue medicine. Science has
always intrigued Dr. Potter and it was in the 7th grade when she had
her “moment.” “My dad, a commercial banker, had a customer who was a butcher.
After clearing it with my teacher, the butcher gave [her father] a cow’s heart
to take to school when we were learning about the circulatory system. I took it
to school on the bus – and it was heavy!” After thawing it for three days, the
class was finally able to crowd around the heart and see first hand a heart and
all its valves and chambers. While a simple day for other students, Dr. Potter
still remembers the feeling of crowding around something so complex and
learning how the organ worked. When Dr. Potter became a GEMS Scholar, she knew
she had made the right choice of pursuing medicine.

When
matriculating from undergrad to medical school, Dr. Potter knew she wanted to
stay a Cardinal. Dr. Potter realized that “medical school would be one of the
most challenging task that [she] would tackle. UofL is a great school and had
the added advantage of being near my family and support system.” The GEMS
program helped her to explore the medical world that Louisville, and UofL
School of Medicine, had to offer. That is not to say challenges didn’t exist; Dr.
Potter remembers in medical school the one thing you have to learn is “survival
training.” You are required to learn a massive amount of information, how to
work in a team, and how to lead; this can be intimidating and challenging.
However, it is all worth it as being a physician is one of the most rewarding
careers and as Dr. Potter stated, “Looking back, it was a great adventure, and
I’m so glad I did it.”

Even today,
medicine still teaches Dr. Potter many valuable life lessons that last with you
as a person. She recalls that medicine taught her how to maintain compassion
and kindness in all situations. When asked what is the most exciting part about
her job today, she stated, “Everyday is different… the variety of diagnoses,
the different procedures, the families.” All of these things made the challenge
of medical school and residency worth it. Medicine is more than just diagnosing
someone, at its foundation lies treating a person with compassion, respect,
empathy, and support. Medicine is equal parts science with humanities. It is
the crossover that makes pursing medicine the rewarding and exciting career it
has become.

That is Dr.
Potter’s story; I ask you, what is yours? The application for the GEMS Program,
and other UofL Scholarships, are now open and the deadline is December 15th.
The GEMS program gives you a first-hand look at the breadth of medicine, from
observations in the ER, Labor & Delivery, Surgery, and more to seminars on
humanism in medicine to suture clinics and SimLabs, the experience you gain as
a GEMS scholar is unparalleled. I urge you all to take the time to decide if
medicine is your calling and apply for this wonderful opportunity.

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About Me

GEMS Blog Author: Charles Shofner. I am a Senior at the University of Louisville, majoring in Biology and Psychology and belong to the GEMS Class of 2013. On campus, I serve on the Executive Board of Alpha Epsilon Delta - a pre-health society- where I am President as well as Relay for Life where I am Event Chair & President. I am also a member of Phi Delta Epsilon. Medicine has been a life passion; ever since I unwrapped Operation, the board game, as a child, I have known that I wanted to be a physician. If I could give a piece of advice to students considering medicine as a career, I would urge them to shadow many different areas to truly understand what being a physician encompasses. It is not just a job, but a calling.

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Are you eligible?

The G.E.M.S. program is open to Kentucky high school seniors. Those who have a minimum of a 3.75 GPA, and who score at least 31 on the ACT or 1360 on the SAT receive preference in the G.E.M.S. admissions process. The application deadline is December 15th. For more information visit, http://louisville.edu/admissions/aid/gep